60 years? The Brits and Russians have been using Afghanistan as the world's most explosive football since the early 19th century. It was a key battleground in

60 years? The Brits and Russians have been using Afghanistan as the world's most explosive football since the early 19th century. It was a key battleground in the "Great Game" of espionage between those two nations. Britain was afraid the Russians would try to take India from them and the Russians wanted control of Central Asia. The Great Game ran up to World War I and can be seen as a precursor to the Cold War. I recommend Peter Hopkirk's "The Great Game" for a more in-depth perspective on the topic. http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Game-Struggle-Kodansha/dp/1568360223 http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Game-Struggle-Kodansha/dp/15...